Forgetful Freddie

Finally available again!

Invented by the legendary magician Milbourne Christopher, this is a classic effect that has remained popular for decades and for good reason! Kids LOVE this effect- they go crazy!

The routine goes like this: You introduce a two-foot tall wooden boy named Freddie. You explain: "Freddie is always forgetting things. Do any of you forget things? He forgets where he left his shoes, he forgets to bring his books to school, he forgets to brush his hair. One day Freddie even went to school headless, now that's pretty forgetful! The teacher wanted to teach Freddie a lesson, so he blew up a balloon, painted a face on it and attached it to the top of Freddie's body. "Kids, meet Mr. Airhead Freddie!”. The kids all laughed at the sight of Freddie's silly balloon head. Freddie thought "If I get back my head I’ll never forget it again.” As you are saying this, suddenly- POP goes the balloon and BACK comes Freddie's head! Kids go WILD!

The working is easy. The head on the prop easily lifts off. The balloon face is fastened to the bow tie, which snaps in place on top of the body. Vanish the wooden head in your favorite manner (you could use a Change Bag, which is not included but can be ordered from MagicTricks.com). When you burst the balloon, the new face instantly pops up into place. No fiddling or fumbling, just great kids show entertainment!

Nice large size- it's over two feet tall. Colorfully painted all wood construction with removable base.

Performance Ideas:

As you start the trick, draw a silly face on the balloon with a marker before placing in the holder. Have some interaction with your audience about the face, let them laugh. Perhaps do a few lines of a comical ventrilioquism routine at this time (as you draw eyes and nose, ask the balloon head a few questions- of course, he can't answer because you haven't drawn the mouth yet, etc.)

Use the trick to deliver a message. Since Freddie at first does not heed the message, he becomes an "airhead"; when he learns his lesson, the head reappears as normal.

Here's what you'll get:

Forgetful Freddie prop with removeable head

printed instructions

You supply the ORDINARY party balloon.

History and Trivia:

Milbourne Christopher invented the Forgetful Freddie trick.

The first balloon was invented by Bartolomeu de Gusmao, a priest who was demonstrating his idea for an airship by launching a miniature model that used a dried animal bladder to hold the air. The rubber balloon was invented by the famous scientist Michael Faraday as a vessel to hold hydrogen. Latex balloons as we know them today were first manufactured in 1847 in London.

Interested in magic history? Visit our free online Magic Library, full of biographies of famous magicians plus lots of magic history and trivia!